Brian Warter and Erica Wishard, Florida parents vacationing with their 6 kids in Florida drown after trying to save two kids caught in rip current. Warning signs on the beach advised against swimming.
A Pennsylvania couple drowned in an ocean rip current on Thursday, while vacationing with their six kids in Florida, according to local authorities.
Brian Warter, 51, and his girlfriend Erica Wishard, 48, both of Downingtown, Chester County, PA, were with their children on Hutchinson Island along Florida’s southeast coast when tragedy struck.
According to the local Martin County Sheriff’s Office, the family was swimming along Stuart Beach when two of their teenage children were swept into the current and the parents attempted to help.
Ventured into waters despite ‘high risk’ advisories
The teenagers eventually managed to break free from the current but the parents remained stuck in the water, the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post.
‘The kids were able to break the current and attempted to help their parents, but it became too dangerous and they were forced to swim ashore,’ investigators added.
Martin County Ocean Rescue attempted to perform life-saving measures before transporting the parents to the hospital. Despite their efforts, the two adults were later pronounced dead, the sheriff’s office confirmed.
On Thursday, prior to the incident, red flags at the beach signaled dangerous surf conditions, and the National Weather Service office in Melbourne warned of a ‘high risk’ of rip currents along the coast.
‘A lot of people are locals, they understand rip tides. They know what to do, what not to do,’ Martin County Chief Deputy John Budensiek said in a statement to WPTV. ‘We get these vacationers that come in and, unfortunately, this ends poorly for them. There’s no way to get the message out to all of them.’
Adoring parents
Martin County Fire Rescue once again on Friday issued a red flag warning for Stuart Beach, Jensen Beach, and Hobe Sound Beach, cautioning people on its Facebook page about ‘large 4- to 6-foot surf and a strong to extreme rip current risk.’
‘Please do NOT enter the water if unsure of swimming ability and if you do, use a flotation device and stay close to shore. Always swim near a lifeguard,’ the agency posted.
The tragedy led to those who knew the couple expressing heartfelt sentiments.
‘He was warm. Very considerate. Bright man. Loved his children. Was very patient with them,’ Susan Verdecchia, Warter’s neighbor in a suburb of Philadelphia told WPTV.
Verdecchia said Warter and Wishard had been dating for a couple years and had six children from separate relationships.
‘He was a wonderful father and a really good neighbor. And we are very, very sad. And we’re gonna miss him,’ Verdecchia added.
